"Some stereotypes have been going around based on what pathway you’re in [at OSA]. So what are they, and how are they affecting others?"-- Violet Hirsch, 7th grade
A few weeks ago, I started my second year at OSA and Literary Arts. However, some stereotypes have been going around based on what pathway you’re in. So what are they, and how are they affecting others?
Alice Stewart, an 8th grader in Literary Arts, says, “Some… people [in this school] don’t really know what to expect from people [in other pathways].” Stewart goes on to list some of the stereotypes that they’ve heard, such as Literary students are quiet and booksy. They also list some more dramatic ones, such as that Visual isn’t that good at drawing, or that Dance never pays attention in class. They do not believe these stereotypes themselves, but they have heard these going around.
“People think because I'm in Literary Arts I should know how to spell every single word in the English dictionary and I should love writing essays.” says Violet Regilio, a 7th grader in Literary Arts. She also said that she was stereotyped a lot– when asked how much she was stereotyped on a scale of 1 through 10 (with 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest), she responded with a 10.
Maya Wein is a 7th grader at OSA who used to be in Theatre. “I was stereotyped a lot. I felt that people said I was outgoing and extroverted, but I’m not.” She also said that she was stereotyped a lot– a 9 out of 10 out of the earlier rating.
In fact, based on a survey of students at OSA, the average amount was 7-8 out of 10– which is a lot. This shows that, even without knowing it, a lot of people assume many things about others. I found this upsetting but not surprising– so many people at OSA stereotype that it’s a regular occurrence.
Being an identical twin, these assumptions have hit me twice as hard. Since my sibling, Penelope Hirsch, is in Theatre, people always say that “Violet should write the plays and Penelope should act them!” Almost any time we tell others about our pathway choices, people say the same thing.
I think that these stereotypes are very unfair. They can make people try to fit into a box that others put them in, and make them unable to show their true selves. I know lots of people that are the opposite of what others assume about them. Just because one person lives up to their stereotype doesn’t mean that everyone else does too.
However, some people have it differently. Pele Wheeler-Jeffries, a 6th grader in Instrumental Music, says “I don’t feel like I have been stereotyped a lot.” He has been stereotyped a few times, though. “People think I have… learned a lot, even though I haven’t been at OSA for a while.”
In my opinion, it seems like since 6th graders haven’t been here for a year yet, they haven’t had time to face stereotypes, but other students who have been here for longer have.
Either way, most people at OSA face assumptions and stereotypes, and everyone that I’ve talked to wants them to go away. So how can we end this?
We can start by making small changes: asking people about their interests and preferences instead of stereotyping, and asking people not to stereotype when they do.
However, this still may not work completely. To be honest, I don’t think that these stereotypes will ever totally stop.
But we can keep fighting for change.
Alice Stewart, an 8th grader in Literary Arts, says, “Some… people [in this school] don’t really know what to expect from people [in other pathways].” Stewart goes on to list some of the stereotypes that they’ve heard, such as Literary students are quiet and booksy. They also list some more dramatic ones, such as that Visual isn’t that good at drawing, or that Dance never pays attention in class. They do not believe these stereotypes themselves, but they have heard these going around.
“People think because I'm in Literary Arts I should know how to spell every single word in the English dictionary and I should love writing essays.” says Violet Regilio, a 7th grader in Literary Arts. She also said that she was stereotyped a lot– when asked how much she was stereotyped on a scale of 1 through 10 (with 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest), she responded with a 10.
Maya Wein is a 7th grader at OSA who used to be in Theatre. “I was stereotyped a lot. I felt that people said I was outgoing and extroverted, but I’m not.” She also said that she was stereotyped a lot– a 9 out of 10 out of the earlier rating.
In fact, based on a survey of students at OSA, the average amount was 7-8 out of 10– which is a lot. This shows that, even without knowing it, a lot of people assume many things about others. I found this upsetting but not surprising– so many people at OSA stereotype that it’s a regular occurrence.
Being an identical twin, these assumptions have hit me twice as hard. Since my sibling, Penelope Hirsch, is in Theatre, people always say that “Violet should write the plays and Penelope should act them!” Almost any time we tell others about our pathway choices, people say the same thing.
I think that these stereotypes are very unfair. They can make people try to fit into a box that others put them in, and make them unable to show their true selves. I know lots of people that are the opposite of what others assume about them. Just because one person lives up to their stereotype doesn’t mean that everyone else does too.
However, some people have it differently. Pele Wheeler-Jeffries, a 6th grader in Instrumental Music, says “I don’t feel like I have been stereotyped a lot.” He has been stereotyped a few times, though. “People think I have… learned a lot, even though I haven’t been at OSA for a while.”
In my opinion, it seems like since 6th graders haven’t been here for a year yet, they haven’t had time to face stereotypes, but other students who have been here for longer have.
Either way, most people at OSA face assumptions and stereotypes, and everyone that I’ve talked to wants them to go away. So how can we end this?
We can start by making small changes: asking people about their interests and preferences instead of stereotyping, and asking people not to stereotype when they do.
However, this still may not work completely. To be honest, I don’t think that these stereotypes will ever totally stop.
But we can keep fighting for change.
